With the presence of over 100 participants representing over 50 institutions, The Herrans Group, Global Institutional Consultants at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, hosted the Agents of Change Forum for Puerto Rico nonprofits.

After spending several weeks meeting and listening to different nonprofit organizations, the agenda included:

Executing an Institution's Mission in a Low Return Environment

Key Trends in the Nonprofit Sector: Brand Awareness, Measuring and Reporting Impact, Fundraising, Donor Retention, Marketing, Giving Trends, Board of Director Trends and Board Committee Trends

Structuring a Business Development/Fund Raising Team

Case Study: Florida International University's Strategy to raise $50 million annually

Financial Advisor Glorimar León welcomed the audience last Thursday at Caparra Country Club and stressed the valuable contributions of the nonprofit sector in the development of social and economic opportunities for our communities. After listening to leading professionals explain financial market perspectives that imply a lower return environment, Senior International Financial Advisor Ricardo Vázquez provided some insightful comments on the challenges that nonprofits face and commented 'investors are increasingly looking for their investments to generate social and environmental impact alongside financial returns'.

After a presentation from US Trust, Bank of America and Florida International University, Senior International Financial Advisor Héctor González moderated a panel that incorporated actionable ideas to balance the challenging economic environment in Puerto Rico. González stated 'as outside funding dries up and as investment returns decline, nonprofit institutions are relying on internal resources more than ever to fulfill their missions'.

One of the key elements discussed was that nonprofits retain only 1 in 5 donors, usually because of an abysmal post-gift experience for the donor. Social media strategies, developing relationships into nonprofit advocates, and the process of better profiling and understanding potential donors were some of the best practices that the audience appreciated and discussed.

Senior International Financial Advisor Juan Guillermo Herrans concluded the activity by stating 'we thank you for your presence and more importantly for the work that you do for Puerto Rico. We are passionate and remain committed to providing you with the resources to help you carry out your mission'